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(continued from Part 15)
---------------------------------------------------------------------

The consummation of the Soul's journey which began in "vivEkam" ends
finally in "prApti". 

"prApti" is glorious "parama-padam", the terminal epicentre of the
whole Cosmos, the 'Abode of God' known as SriVaikuntam. It is also
the highest state of being, celebrated variously in the scriptures as
"mOksha", "mukti", "paramA-gati", "parama-purushArtam",
"nitya-kainkarya-prApti", "tiru-nAdu"... It is the crowning
culmination of the long journey the 'jIvAtma' undertook along the
Vedantic path traced for us by Swami Vedanta Desikan in the
"parama-pada-sOpAnam". 

According to Desikan's 'rahasyatrayasAra', here in the terminal phase
of the soul's progress, the 'jeeva' is received by "nityasuris"
(archangels) who take it to the "portals of God's City with high
walls adorned with festive banners. This city is called 'aparajita'.
Indra and Prajapati who are the guardians of the City welcome the
'jeeva' as if it were their Master and begin to offer it honors
befitting a crown prince. They receive it with "purnakumbha", lamps
and other "upacharas" (services). All these are akin to 'state honour
protocol' duly accorded to a liberated soul. This state is called
'sAlokya'.

After the protocol, the 'jeeva' is led to a great assembly hall
crowned by a "gopura" (tower) of precious gems called variously as
'prabuvimitam' or 'vibupramitam'. Perhaps it is this "hall" or
"mAmani-mantapa" that NammAzhwAr also refers to in the
"tiruvOimOzhi":

vandhavar ethir_koLLa* maamaNi mandapaththu*
andhamil pErinbaththu* adiyarOdu irundhamai*
kondhalar pozil* kurukoorchchadakOpan* chol-
chandhangaLaayiraththu* ivaivallaar munivarE. (10.9.11)

Once it is inside this great hall, the 'jeeva' is said to acquire
another luminous and divine form known as "divya yasas". This
elevated state of the soul's being is called 'saroopya'.

Then, the "jeeva" is ceremoniously ushered to the seat of God called
'vichakshana peetam'. In this state in the presence of God the soul
is said to be in 'sameepyam'.

God then allows the "jeeva" to approach Him on His divine couch
called 
'amitoujas' and reveals His blissful form to the 'muktAtmA'. This
state is called 'sAyujya'. It is in this state of absolute intimacy
with God that the "jIvAtmA" is restored to its essential and original
nature ("Atma-svarUpa") with 8 clear and sterling qualities or
"guNa-visEsha" viz.:

"being free from 1. Sin, 2. Old age, 3. Death, 4. Sorrow, 5. Hunger
6. Thirst, 7. Being endowed with all desired objects and 8. an
unhindered will. The Lord bestows "sAyujya" which means being united
in equal enjoyment with God who places the Mukta in the galaxy of
Nityas and other Muktas enjoying infinitude ('satyam'), infinite
knowledge('gnyAnam') and infinite bliss ('ananta-Anandam'). The Lord
mingles with such a fraternity of 'mUktAs' as a "nitya yuva"
Himself." (ibid. A.Ramaswamy)

*************************************

It is this precisely this supreme state of "sAyujya" in
"parama-padam" which in the Upanishads is glorified as "brahmAnandam"
--- the Bliss of God. 

The bliss of 'sAyujya', the eternal embrace of God, can neither be
expressed nor measured in words. And yet the Taittiriya Upanishad 
gives us some idea of it in a very famous passage of very rare poetic
beauty, insight and revelation.

In the section of the Taittiriya called "anandavalli", the Upanishad
sets out a so-called imaginary "Calculus of Joy" with the aid of
which we can measure the bliss enjoyed by a "muktAtmA" in the state
of "sAyujya" in "parama-pada": 

The joy experienced by a human being on earth (who is perfectly
healthy, wealthy and wise) is first taken as "1 unit of bliss"... Let
us designate it as "1-B". The Upanishad then proceeds to describe the
bliss experienced by divine beings or celestials in terms of
progressive multiples of "1-B". 

The celestials are enumerated as "gandharva", "pitru", "ajanadeva",
"karmadeva", "devata", "indra", "brhaspati" and "prajapati"
respectively. 

We are to thus begin multiplying "1-B" first by 100, then 10,000,
next a million, 100-million, ten thousand million, a billion,
100-billion, ten-thousand billion... until we finally arrive at a
million-billion "1-Bs" -- which may be said to be, very
approximately, the equivalent of 1 unit of the 'Anandam' the
"jIvAtma" enjoys in the state of 'sAyujya' with the "para-brahman"!

The Upanishad calls such a soul as "prEtya" i.e. that "jIva" which
has departed from the world and finally attained "brahma-gnyAna" by
piercing through what may be called the dark sheaths ("kOsa") of
consciousness within which it had remained mired and enshrouded for
many ages. These sheaths or "kOsA-s" are "food" (annam), "vital air"
(prAnam), "Mind" (manas) and "Intellect" (vignyAnam). In the state of
"sAyujya" there is nothing to enshroud the "jIvAma" anymore from the
presence of God and intimacy with Him. Hence it becomes eternally
free to experience not only "brahma-gnyAna" but also "brahmAnanda"
---

"... sa EkO brahmaNa ananda: ...
.. sayaschAyam purushE.. yaschAvAdityE ... sa Eka: .."
"sa ya Evam vith... asmAllOkAt prEtya...

etam anna-mayam-AtmAnam-mupasankrAmati
etam prANa-mayam-AtmAnam-mupasankrAmati
etam manO-mayam-AtmAnam-mupasankrAmati
etam vignyAna-mayam-AtmAnam-mupasankrAmati
etam Ananda-mayam-AtmAnam-mupasankrAmati..." ("anandavalli")

********* ************ *********

Such is the Glory of "parama-padam"! Such is the Glory of the
Upanishads! Such is the glorious Destiny of the human soul! 

And there ends the great 'vEdAnta-mArga' of Swami Venkatanathan's
'parama-pada-sOpAnam'...

(to be concluded)

dAsan,
Sudarshan 









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